When The Light Breaks opens with a shot of student Una (Elín Hall) staring at a stunning sunset while stoned and sharing a romantic moment with her boyfriend Diddi (Baldur Einarsson), “I’m tired of this secrecy” she says.
Diddi makes a promise as the pair walk home with the sun setting behind them over the Icelandic scenery, joking and teasing each other. They fall asleep in each other’s arms, looking forward to the new life they can spend together when Diddi finally splits up with his girlfriend.
In the next scene, a score, Odi Et Amo, by the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson plays as we see lights quickly drift past us. Are we in a tunnel? Is it a dream? It challenges us with the angle they are shown, but then suddenly everything comes into full view – and a catastrophe unfolds which will turn Una’s life upside down.
A fatal road accident has occurred in a tunnel, which has rocked the country and those close to Una. We follow Una throughout the film as she begins to process what has happened, and the sudden implications it has on her friends, and herself.
Una goes from having plenty to say, to moments of heartbreaking silence as you can see her process what is happening in her head, the weight of everything breaking her but her having to keep it together when Diddi’s girlfriend arrives to mourn with his friends.
One particular scene sees the youngsters drinking and dancing to Hatari’s ‘Hatrið Mun Sigra’, which translates as Hate Will Prevail. They all dance intently as they try to find a way to release the sad energy that has washed over them. Una, who has held it together pretty well up to now, suddenly breaks down. The youngsters fuse together in a giant hug as they console her and each other – it is a touching moment so beautifully played that it feels real.
Those around Una are Gunni (Mikael Kaaber), Sigg (Gunnar Hrafn Kristjánsson), Bassi (Ágúst Wigum), and Klara (Katla Njálsdóttir) all of them feel so natural in their roles. The viewer feels they are really watching this group of friends handle the death of someone close to them. The honesty and realism is thanks to the fantastic performances.
The camera lingers around them naturally as they drink beer, do shots, puff on their vapes, and break down with emotion. Those familiar with Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s Beautiful Beings, which saw a very different group of teenagers navigating through their lives with violence and bullying, might have expected similar violent outbursts – with one scene threatening it – but this is a very different film and a very different group of teenagers.
Elín Hall is absolutely extraordinary in this. Those not familiar with her work should make the time to watch her performance in Let Me Fall (currently on Amazon Prime) to see how talented she is. If that heavy film (about a heroin addict) is a bit much, then go and listen to her music. She has two albums in her native language and has just released a single with Icelandic legend Bubbi Morthens.
And what about the director Rúnar Rúnarsson? His work is hard to come by in the UK – his previous film Echo was on MUBI for some time, and was where I first discovered his work. It is a fascinating film made up of a number of vignettes in the build to Christmas and into the New Year from a perspective in Iceland. Various moments happen, from the mundane to the heartbreaking, the awkward to the absurd; it is a film worth multiple watches (which is exactly what I do by sticking it on every Christmas).
When The Light Breaks sees the director take in different angles and methods with the camera. Many scenes have the camera track alongside our protagonist as we follow her around various places in the country’s capital. One particular scene sees her crossing a pedestrian bridge as Jóhannsson’s score returns, a lady attends to the flag poles, manoeuvring the flags to half-mast to emphasise how tragic the tunnel incident has been.
It comes as no surpise that Sophia Olsson FSF’s is the talent behind the cinematography in the film. Sophia had previously worked on Echo and Sparrows with the director but her other work also includes a number of fantastic Nordic titles including The Charmer, Charter, and Sami Blood. The colour and light that is captured here is near perfect in that allows you to be immersed in these moments – that you are there in Iceland with witnessing the colours that are being painted in front of you.
This film invites you to think deeply and almost grieve alongside its characters, allowing you to step into their shoes and feel their vulnerability as they navigate a devastating tragedy at such a young age. Amidst the emotional weight, you sense Una’s burden as she mourns alongside her secret lover’s girlfriend and his friends, carrying the knowledge of her and Diddi’s conversation only hours before – all she has is a selfie they took to remind her of what might have been.
Fans of the director’s work will lap this film up and those new to it work will want to seek out his previous features. Both the film’s screenings at the BFI London Film Festival are sold out but those that are press and covering the festival should make time to check the film out on the exclusive BFI Player.
When The Light Breaks is currently screening at BFI London International Film Festival – there is no news yet on a future release.
